Apart from unveiling the Xiaomi 14 series, Band 8 Pro, and Watch 3, the company also unveiled the 2nd generation of their Watch series, the Xiaomi Watch 2. Today, we unbox and go hands-on to see what has changed.
The unboxing experience is pretty straightforward. We have this long white minimalist box, with the watch in the center, the Mi logo located in the upper right, and “Xiaomi Watch 2” at the bottom center.
At the back, we get all the certifications and details about the device, the same as on both sides.
Opening the box situates the watch first with a sticker to protect the display. The unit we have is in this dirty white color TPU Strap. Beneath, we get the charging dock and the user manual, which is quite thick, to be honest.
Included in our review unit is the Pine green TPU Strap as well, which I really dig.
Now, focusing on the unit, as mentioned, the Xiaomi Watch 2 is well protected on both the front (or top) and bottom with a sticker.
The first thing I noticed with this device is how elegant and minimalist this watch is. It is in this nice silver aluminum unibody with two capsule-type buttons on the right side.
In terms of the display, it has strips of lines on every hour indicator, similar to a regular clock, plus a single triangle at the 12 o’clock mark.
Moving to the bottom or back, should I say, we got the black glass with a sensor at the dead center location, with two pins beneath for the charging docks.
Looking closely, we also see some text markings like the model number, name, version, certifications, and logo. Not really noticeable unless you flash a light directly onto the glass.
Now, in terms of the strap, we have here a 22mm designed by Xiaomi strap. Again, as mentioned, this is a premium, well-designed strap, and it has a latch in case you plan to switch straps in the future. It’s very easy to remove — simply push to the other side and pull, and you will hear a click sound if you successfully remove and unlatch the straps.
Let’s move on to the actual watch itself.
After booting up the watch, it will prompt you to scan a QR code or simply download the Mi Fitness app either via the Google Play Store or iOS App Store.
Once downloaded, you will see a section to add or pair the device. Simply follow the instructions — it’s really straightforward. It just took me less than 3 minutes to pair.
The Xiaomi Watch 2 has a 1.43-inch large AMOLED display with 336 x 480 pixels, 60Hz, with 326 PPI. It runs on Wear OS x MIUI Watch and has tons of features that we will dive into more in our full review.
Xiaomi claims it can hold up to 65 hours of battery life on a single full charge, thanks to its 495mAh battery capacity. Also, this device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip.
For my first impression, I did notice the lightweight aluminum alloy body and the dual-ring etched pattern. I also like how responsive the display is when it comes to swiping. Navigation is when you swipe either left or right — it will show the 6 modes (SpO2, HR Measuring, Sleep, Workouts, Weather, and the clock face). While swiping from top to bottom will show the notification toggle, from bottom to top shows the menu toggles.
In terms of the button, the bottom button will trigger the settings menu, while the top button will show all the apps.
Well, that’s it for now for our unboxing and quick hands-on of the Xiaomi Watch 2. Stay tuned for our full review in the next couple of days. Let’s see if Xiaomi’s claim of 65 hours will be met during our test period, and we will dive more into all its new features and capabilities.
Let us know as well what you want to see in our full review 156— we will be happy to read all your comments.
Also, check our unboxing video here. 475 Available at Shopee 281 and Lazada (Stay tuned for the local launch).
